Always Bet On Pressure From Steve Spagnuolo in Big Moments
The Bills weren’t the first team to experience pressure from Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in the biggest moment of a game. They won’t be the last, either.
You can expect it to happen again on Super Sunday. In fact, Spagnuolo has brought some form of pressure in the key moments of each of Kansas City’s three Super Bowl wins:
Super Bowl LIV vs. 49ers
49ers led 20-17, 5:23 remaining, 3rd-and-5:
Super Bowl LVII vs. Eagles
Chiefs led 28-27, 10:40 remaining, 3rd-and-3:
Super Bowl LVIII vs. 49ers
Score tied 16-16, 2:00 remaining, 3rd-and-5:
Score tied 19-19, overtime, 3rd-and-4:
This is particularly important for Eagles Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore to remember heading into Super Bowl LIX. They will need to be ready for anything in these key situations and learn from the mistakes of those who Spagnuolo has tormented in the past. Those mistakes include:
Assuming that trends set up throughout the game will remain the same in key moments.
Waiting until the final seconds of the play clock to snap the ball, allowing K.C. to hold their disguise and perfectly time their blitz.
Using tight receiver splits to the back side, inviting the cornerback blitz.
Not having good hot answers.
Putting personnel in places where they aren’t as familiar or proficient.
Getting too cute with protection schemes.
Below, I’ll break down several of Spagnuolo’s best crunch-time blitzes from this season and last year’s Super Bowl, and I’ll point out the mistakes the Eagles need to avoid.
If you love good defense, read on. This will feel a bit like a Steve Spagnuolo Greatest Hits Album (Although we won’t be getting into his absolute greatest hit, Super Bowl XLII when the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots - You can read about that here).
If you’re an offensive-minded football fan or ever played the quarterback position, you might want to look away or at least read this with the lights on.
Out-Smarting Joe Burrow
This first example was from the Chiefs’ Week 2 win over the Bengals. Cincinnati was without their #2 receiver Tee Higgins in that game. So Spagnuolo dedicated extra attention to Ja’Marr Chase, doubling him in various ways throughout the afternoon.
This particular play was a 3rd-and-6 with just three-and-a-half minutes remaining and the Bengals leading by 2. This was the key moment of the game.
First, notice that Chase was aligned as the single receiver to the right side here:
Joe Burrow was probably anticipating another double-team based on what he’d seen all afternoon. And the extra defender in the double was likely coming from the safety to Chase’s side:
If the Chiefs were going to bring pressure here, Burrow appeared to think it would come from the offense’s left:
So he moved his tight end in the backfield to that side before the snap:
Here’s how the Bengals would end up protecting this:
The 4-man slide to their left would pick up the 4 most likely rushers. Tight end Drew Sample (#89) in the backfield was responsible for #20 Justin Reid if he came. If he didn’t, Sample was now in position to handle any extra blitzers off the edge to his left instead of having to come across the formation since Burrow had moved him.
But the Chiefs wouldn’t be bringing pressure from that side. Instead, the pressure would come from Chamarri Conner, the safety who initially looked like he’d be doubling Chase and who was unaccounted for by the protection. The deep safety from the opposite side of the field would then race over to become the second defender on Chase:
Burrow didn’t see it, and the result was a sack that would force the Bengals to punt the ball away:
Take another look from the end zone angle. Burrow’s eyes went left. He didn’t account for Conner coming from his right at all:
The Chiefs would get the ball back and go on to win this game on a last-second field goal.
Spagnuolo had set a pattern all afternoon, and then he broke it at the right time. The Bengals weren’t ready for it. The Eagles will need to be.
3rd-and-10 vs. the Texans in the Divisional Playoffs
Against the Texans in the Divisional Playoffs, the biggest sequence of the game came in the 4th quarter with about 10 minutes remaining and the Chiefs leading 20-12. This was the best chance the Texans would have to tie the game.
On multiple plays, the Chiefs did a great job of holding their looks and not revealing their hand until the protection was set and there wasn’t enough time on the play clock to adjust.
Let’s go right to the 3rd-and-10 play.